Package construction



Nov. 11, 1958 G. A. ALTENBERN ETAL PACKAGE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 9, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Gustav A. A/fenblgrh Jay 6. Bruce INVENTOR.

Nqv. 11, 1958 G. A. ALTENBERN ETAL 3 3 PACKAGE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 9; 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

usfavA A/fenbern Jay 6. Bruce Fig 2 I l MN PACKAGE CONSTRUCTION Gustav A. Altenbern and Jay C. Bruce, Memphis, Tenn.,

assignors to Gem, Incorporated, Byhalia, Miss., a corporation of Mississippi Application March 9, 1956, Serial No. 570,519

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-4531) The present invention relates to improvements in packaging and particularly to improvements in packaging products so that certain salient features may be not only visible but accessible to the potential customer and so that the appearance of not only the package but the product therein is enhanced.

In considering the nature and substance of the invention reference is made to a mop which is the product to be packaged. At the present time combined practicability and attractiveness in packaging of products is considered to be essential. Some decorative packaging, although ornate and attractive, fails to rise to the standards of practicability which are necessary for the merchandising of common place articles and for the shipment and storage thereof. Other packages are highly practical but constitute no more than an enclosure for the product that is to be sold. An object of the present invention is to provide a package for a product, the package being of such an attractive nature that it functions as a silent salesman of the product as well as an effective display and advertising device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a package for a product such as a mop, the package being so constructed that upon casual observation of. it details of the product that is packaged become immediately apparent such as the size of the mop, dust accumulating part, improvements or desirable features in the socket that holds the mop handle onto the mop head and the bumper guard on or adjacent to the socket, the latter two parts of the mop head protruding through an aperture in the top of the package. In this way the socket and bumper guard may be handled by potential customers without soiling or deranging the dust accumulating part of the mop head, the latter being held protected within the enclosure formed by the package. It is apparent that by having the socket exposed there are several advantages which accrue. One is the fact that a mop handle may be attached to the socket for effective display of the entire mop and to satisfy the curiosity of the customers so that they may be assured that the mop handle will fit the mop head, and secondly, the thickness of the package may be maintained minimal, the socket of the mop head being the thickest part thereof. Therefore, the package may be made of a thickness to accommodate the thickness of the dust accumulating part of the mop head which is usually made of yarn.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved package for a product, the package being arranged to display the color and quality of material used in the mop head and special construction features that are not only fully visible but accessible to the customer without having to open the package.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such a package of such construction that it may be made by common manufacturing expedients such as being die cut from a single blank of cardboard or like material.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully here- States Pate ice 2 inafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from which one form of the package is made;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the package made from the blank of Figure 1; a

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view in enlarged scale and taken on the line 33 of Figure 2 with the mop omitted for purposes of clarity;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on. the line 4-4 of Figure 2, this also being in'enlarged scale and; i

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the means of interlocking the package of Figure'2.

Attention is invited first to Figures 1-5 Where one form of the invention is illustrated. The form of invention shown herein is for the packaging of a mop 10, the latter consisting of a wire frame 12 (Figure 4) on which there is a bonnet 14 having a pocket in which the frame is separably disposed. The dust accumulating part 16 of the mop is made, in this instance, of yarn, although other standard material may be used. The same holds true for the bonnet and wire frame construction in that other types of standard mops may be displayed and packaged in the manner to be described. Socket 18 made of spring material is mounted on a socket holder 20, the latter being pivotally connected to frame 12. Sheep skin bumper guard 22 is attached at the lower end of the socket 18 and is pivotally movable therewith. For the purposes of illustration the socket 18 and the sheep skin-bumper guard 22 are assumed to be special features which enhance the possibility of sale. In the packaging of mop head 10, therefore, the socket 18 and bumper guard 22 protrude from the package and are not only visible but accessible from the exterior thereof. Package 24' is 'made from a blank 26 of any customary material, for example cardboard. The blank is formed by the usual methods, as being die stampedand. it consists of a first panel 28 which when assembled in a package 24, constitutes the bottom of the package. There is a second panel 30 joined tothe first panel 28 and along a longer edge thereof. Strip 32' is between the panels 28 and 30,. strip 32 functioning as a side of package 24 while the secondpanel 30 functions as the top thereof. Two fold lines 34 and 36 that are arranged parallel to each other, are the means of separating the panel 28, strip 32 and panel 30. All fold lines are made by weakening parts of the blank 28, as by being scored, compressed, perforated or by other expedients known in the trade. Panels 28 and 30 are of the same size so that when the blank is folded into the package 24 the package will have a rectangular form. This is for ease of assembly, it being understood that other shapes of thepackage may be arrived at by having dimension variations in the panels and strips to be described.

Panel 30 is rectangular in plan form, as is strip 32.

An identical strip 38 is parallel to strip 32 but is on the opposite edge of the panel 30. Strip 38 has fold lines 40 and 42 which delineate it from the second panel 30 to which it is attached. The side of the package 24 opposite to the side that is formed by strip '32, is formed by the strip 38. Shorter strips 44 and 46 respectively are united to the opposite side edges of panel 32, there being fold lines 47 and 48 for the strip 44 and fold lines 49 and 50 for the strip 46. End flaps 52 and 54 respectively are connected to strips 44 and 46 along fold lines 48 and 49. Coac'ting end flaps 56 and 58 are connected along corresponding shorter edges of the first panel 28 and along fold lines 60 and 62. The length of flaps 56 and 58 is slightly reduced in comparison to the distance across the first panel 28. The final flap 64 is joined to the strip 28 along fold line 42.

The means for holding the package in its assembled form as shown in Figures 3 and 5 are a slit 66 formed along fold line 40 together with a tab 68 that is adapted to be insertedin-slit 66 and interlocked with the material of the strip 38 thereadjacent. The tab is trapezoidal and joined to the outer edge of the first panel 28 by means of a strip 70. Fold lines 72 and 74 form hinge points about which strip 70 and the tab 68 are to be turned. By slitting as at 76 the tab 68 and also strip 70 the tab may be more easily inserted and removed from engagement with slit 66 since the two sections of the tab may be overlapped slightly but there is' enough inherent elasticity in the material from which the tab is made for the tab sections to return to their original form as shown in Figure 1.

For vision to the interior of the package panel 39 has two generally .U-shaped window openings 80 and 82. It is preferred, although not essential that these openings be covered by transparent panels 84 and 86, the panels being of cellophane or similar flexible transparent material that may be easily cemented or even heat sealed in place. A central aperture 88 is formed in the panel 30 through which the bumper guard 22 and the socket 18 may be passed. To facilitate this crossed slits 89 and 90 are radially arranged through the center of the aperture 88 and in the material which forms the panel 30 immediately surrounding the aperture 88.

In assembling the package with the mop head in it socket 18 and bumper guard 22 are pushed through aperture 88. Then strips 38, 44 and 46 are folded upwardly along their fold line junctions with panel and finally flaps 52, 54 and 64 are folded over parallel to the plane of the panel 30. The dust accumulating part of the mop is of such size that the flaps 52, 54 and 64 overlie it along the edges. Thereafter flapsv 56 and 58 are folded down upon the inner surface of the first panel 28 and this panel is folded upon panel 30 by hinging along fold lines 34 and 36 in order to bring the strip 32 parallel to strip 38. By interlocking tab 68 with thin slit 66 the package is assembled. By having the windows arranged as described and shown in Figure 2 the dust accumulating part 16 of the mop becomes visible and an idea as to the size of the mop head is obtained. In addition the special features of the mop head, spring type socket 18 and bumper guard 22 are on the exterior of the package arranged attractively and readily accessible to the potential customer or advertising technician to arrange displays.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous 4 modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In a package for a mop that has a dust accumulating part and a socket, a blank which is folded to form the package on the mop, said blank having a first panel which forms the bottom of the package, a strip along one edge of said first panel and having fold lines on opposite sides thereof, a second panel of approximately the same dimension and shape as said first panel joined along one of said fold lines to said strip and constituting the top of the package, strips on three edges of said second panel and constituting three sides of the package, flaps on each of said strips on said three sides which overlie edge parts of said dust accumulating part of the mop head when they are arranged at right angles to said strips on the three sides of said second panel, and interlocking means operatively connected with one of the strips on said second panel and said first panel for holding said first panel attached with said second panel and in enclosing'relationship to the mop dust accumulating part, flaps on opposite sides of said first panel, the last mentioned flaps being arranged parallel to said first panel and adapted to overlie two of said panels on the strips of said second panel a window opening in said second panel, a transparent panel over said window opening for vision into the interior of the package, and an aperture in said second panel through which the socket projects.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,192,359 Warren July 25, 1916 1,383,148 Pinkerton June 28, 1921 1,923,065 Clemens Aug. 22, 1922, 1,687,655 Brown Oct. 16, 1928 2,112,879 Broderick Apr. 5, 1938 2,119,709 Henn June 7, 1938 2,285,991 Lester June 9, 1942 2,310,499 Vineberg Feb. 9, 1943 2,465,841 Bonini Mar. 29, 1949 2,593,689 Mitchell Apr. 22, 1952 

